Farmers Movement Archive

‘Actor on tractor’: Union minister Pralhad Joshi questions Rahul Gandhi over APMC, farm law

Union minister for parliamentary affairs Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the absence of agricultural produce market committee (APMC) in Kerala and the new law concerting farmers in Punjab. Joshi also accused the Congress leader and Left parties of hypocrisy ahead of polls in five states and a Union territory.The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader’s remarks come a day after Gandhi held a tractor rally in his constituency in Kerala’s Wayanad against the Centre’s three new farm laws. “Rahul Gandhi is trying to become 'actor on tractor'. If you are in favour of APMC, then, why is there no APMC in Kerala,” news agency ANI quoted minister Joshi as saying.Also read | Rahul Gandhi targets Centre, says it is imposing its will and power on judiciaryJoshi also pointed that a new law brought by the Congress government in Punjab can potentially send a farmer behind bars. “Rahul Gandhi, your government in Punjab has brought a law under which a farmer who breaks the agreement. He could be sent to jail,” the minister said during a press conference in Kerala’s capital of Thiruvananthapuram.Similar comments were made by Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on February 6 during his address in the Rajya Sabha. “Punjab Contract Farming Act provides for jail and fine up to ₹5 lakh for the farmers. In the act made by the government of India, the farmer can come out of contract farming at any time,” Tomar had said in the Upper House.Gandhi, busy with political rallies in poll-bound Kerala and Puducherry, had attacked the Centre on Monday. “These three [farm] laws are designed to destroy the agriculture system in the country and give the entire business to two or three friends of PM Modi,” he had said.Joshi also asked Gandhi to clarify his position on why the Congress party has a different alliance in different states and said politics is not just for grabbing power and having "some alliance here and some alliance there,"“The Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) are fighting in Kerala. 'Kushti' in Kerala, 'dosti' in Delhi and other places. See the hypocrisy of these parties. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is supporting Congress in Delhi but not doing the same in West Bengal as Congress has become a liability on various regional parties," Joshi.Also read | When will petrol and diesel prices drop? Oil minister Pradhan weighs in"Hypocrisy of the Left is that they are supporting Congress in Delhi, West Bengal. They (Congress and Left) are friends in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu also. You don't want to believe Politburo in Kerala but you choose to do in West Bengal: I ask Rahul Gandhi do you believe in democracy or hypocrisy,” he said.Kerala, along with West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is scheduled to hold assembly elections in April-May. Leaders of the Congress and BJP have been paying visits to the southern state ahead of the polls. Gandhi is in Kerala to attend a programme to mark the culmination of padayatra being undertaken by state Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and other programmes on February 22 and 23.Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has also visited the state and had flagged off the BJP's Vijaya Yatra from Kasaragod last week. Other BJP national leaders will also be in Kerala to attend the Vijaya Yatra rally in various districts. Union home minister Amit Shah will attend the concluding session of the rally on March 7 in Thiruvananthapuram.(With ANI inputs)

Hindustan Times

23-02-2021

India